How do you direct your holiday charitable giving?

This year, I decided to give to a charity instead of giving a gift to neighbors. In the past, we gave maple syrup. The skyrocketing price of maple syrup ended that, and recently we have given jam from a little roadside stand in Maine. However, I myself get tired of having partially used jars of jam in my refrigerator, so I was looking to do something a bit different.

Here's my theoretical question for you: do you give to a charity that you already support, or do you give to a charity that supports the theme of "neighbor"? We are longterm supporters of Thompson Child and Family Focus, which helps children "at risk for social and academic failure" through a variety of services, including everything from Child Development Centers to psychiatric residential treatment. We are also devoted members of the Carolina Raptor Center, which rehabilitates injured and orphaned raptors (owls, hawks, etc.) as well as providing education and research programs. I am a big fan of Friendship Trays, which is the local Meals-on-Wheels program. Many of my elderly relatives have benefited from similar programs in their communities, and I have delivered my fair share of meals here in town. And then there are worthy health-related organizations like Charlotte Community Health Clinic and Community Health Services. And finally, we have had several friends and family pass away this year, so I considered organizations like Hospice and CaringBridge, so helpful during times of critical illnesses.

I even (briefly) toyed with the idea of giving a gift card like TisBest or Kiva so neighbors could choose the charity (but then decided that was tacky--fine for a gift to a child, but not for my neighbors).

However, I struggled with each of those for different reasons. I didn't want the gift to be one that somehow added to my own generosity towards a personal passion; I couldn't really see how a gift to the raptor center was a gift for my neighbor. And I didn't want to get into any political or religious issues around the gift; I worried that a gift to the health clinic might ruffle a few feathers. I ended up going with a gift to the Urban Ministry Center, which ministers to poor and homeless people in Charlotte. I felt that this was a non-controversial program that speaks to the "who is my neighbor" question. (I also, I must confess, picked it because I had made a measly donation at the recent luncheon for the Urban Ministry Center and later learned that the cost of my meal was more than my gift. Plus the Urban Ministry had a really attractive card for me to give to my neighbors.)

I plan to give a gift in honor of my friends to another organization--probably one of the above. Or maybe A Child's Place, which provides services to homeless children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Or to Second Harvest Foodbank, which has made eliminating child hunger its most important goal. Most of my friends have children and would find a gift to either organization meaningful.

Gees, there are a lot of worthy places, aren't there? Are you making any donations this holiday season? Where?

To Do: Consider your own charitable giving. Why do you make that gift?